Our house recently was hit with a bout of flu, fairly innocent enough, but then Noah seemed to be coughing alot, so I took him to the doctor. We found out that he has pneumonia. He just had a bout with this at the end of last spring, and we feel that it has never quite left him. Those of you that have been out to the house during summer may have noticed that when he rides his bike like a madman around our yard and mom and dad's place, he would have to take frequent rest periods. During these rest periods, he would be red, extremely sweaty, and have difficulty catching his breath, with a few dry hacks thrown in as well. (seems like he's sick constantly!)
To make matters worse, prior to the pneumonia, he has been on two consecutive antibiotics, the last of which was fairly strong and neither knocked this out, so he is now onto a third. We are giving him active culture yogurt but unfortunately it has not been enough to keep diarrhea at bay, so now we are dealing with that. Pneumonia can dehydrate you, so add the diarrhea in there and it is pretty concerning, so I try my best to keep him hydrated.
Obviously this is a major concern. We go in next Tuesday for a follow up X-ray to determine if this antibiotic is helping. Having alot of medical background can be a double edged sword, because on one hand it is good to know what you are up against, but on the other hand, as a mother it is quite unnerving when it is your little one. I would like to have him see a pulmonologist if this isn't resolved by Tuesday, because honestly, I feel like sitting here him-hawing around trying different antibiotics is stupid. Used to be they would type you for these things, and I feel like he's sitting here getting worse and weaker as we wait around. You must be very careful regarding the lungs, pneumonia has the capability to scar and if the scarring is permanent, it can cause symptoms very much like COPD. (Attack of the angry mother!!)
PLEASE keep my little guy in your prayers, as well as our whole family as we deal with this. I am so thankful that I come from a GOD loving family, that we help each other, and that we know where to run for help in trouble! :) I look forward to updating you with good news.
4 comments:
I am so sorry, Valerie. I will be praying. And this blog can most certainly be used for all sorts of circumstances.....love you!
Valerie, I am so sorry to read this. Poor Noah! It's a good thing you are familiar with medical issues & are planning to take a proactive approach in helping your son get better. I am praying for Noah & for your whole family to be strong through this.
Val,your post is perfect. We can pray for Noah and all of you who are nursing him. FYI, there is an excellent pulmonologist on, I think, Trailwood Av. (across from Giant Eagle in Boardman. His name is Dr. Barreiro (sp). I go to a dr in that group who is good but I think Dr.B may be even better. He did wonders with Mike's dad who DID have COPD.
auntde
VAL,
SO SORRY ABOUT NOAH. PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO SCHEDULE A PULMONOLOGIST APPOINTMENT. KNOWING WHAT COPD IS LIKE, BE PROACTIVE. SOMETIMES I THINK IF MY SARCOIDOSIS HAD BEEN CAUGHT EARLIER I WOULD NOT HAVE THE LUNG DAMAGE AND MY QUALITY OF LIFE WOULD BE BETTER.
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO WHAT WHAT YOU NEED TO FOR NOAH, NEVER FEEL BAD ABOUT THAT. IT MAY SEEM SILLY, BUT BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY.
LOVE YOU ALL, WILL ADD YOU GUYS TO PRAYERS.
JUST GOT TEXT FROM VV, ALEXA HAS SHIGELLA WHICH IS GOING AROUND AT SCHOOL AND ALANNA HAS STREP. PRAYER LIST GROWS:) AUNT C
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